Grinding, Pushing Through The Adversity

BEAVERTON, Ore.– In a season of ups and downs, behind the message from their seniors, the Lakeridge Boys LaCrosse team fought through their fair share of adversity entering Wednesday’s Semi-final game versus number one Beaverton.

Having faced and defeated this team in the preseason, confidence was high that the Pacers would repeat that success from April 6’s 12-11 victory at home.

Fate would have it that adversity would rear it’s ugly head once more for Lakeridge, but they held tough; held their ground versus the Beavers, coming back from two-down to tie it on numerous occasions.

“That’s how we’ve always been,” said Nick Brisbee. “Not quitting and seeing what we can do in that 30 seconds of time and two goals immediately we could just pass the ball a little bit more it could’ve been a different outcome.”

Entering the third quarter, it was five-all as Brooks Dutton had himself six saves in the first half, and it wasn’t long before the Boys in Blue had themselves a lead.

With 9:27 left in the third quarter, in a back-and-forth battle of wits and will, Pacer’s Connor Schnapp connected on a goal that gave Lakeridge their lone lead of the game.

Like it was said, it was a tug-of-war of wit and will with two minutes later, Beaverton’s Matt Hockman tied the ball game up at six with 7:21 remaining.

Holden Catlett (13) fighting with Beaverton for the ball (Picture By Jeremy McDonald)

Looking to regain a lead, both squads battled but the Beavers, thanks in part to another Hockman goal seconds later, stun the powerhouse in the Pacers, scoring in total eight goals before the quarter ended with Beaverton up 13-6.

But, like the seniors taught them all year, don’t quit. Battle through the adversity.

It was a underclassman to start the fourth quarter who wanted to help his seniors out to continue this run they were on, to make it four-in-a-row for Lakeridge in the State Title game.

His name: Griffin Catlett.

An eight-goal deficit was quickly reduced to six in a matter of minutes as Catlett scored three of the games next four goals to bring it to 14-9 with the clock approaching the 8:30 mark of the game.

They wanted this for the seniors.

“Every year, our motto has been ‘We want this, State is this year’ and they’ve pushed us so hard and they just motivated all of the younger guys; me and everyone pretty much. It sucks we feel short but next year we’re going to get it for them.”

Both teams traded blows, as they have been all game with one another in one way or another. In goals, in body shots and stick hitting, both teams continued their assault on one another as they were until the final whistle.

And though the final scoreboard read: Beaverton 17, Lakeridge 12, it’s safe to know. It’s better than safe, it is known, that the Boys in Blue will be back in 2017.

“It give me the fire to keep grinding, to keep going,” said Brisbee. “We wanted it so bad this year, it sucks but it gives us the fire in our heart to come out next year harder.

.”Never give up keep pushing, the offseason really matters and just keep grinding,” Brisbee added in the ever-lasting message that the seniors leave behind for him.

Though he’ll have to say goodbye to great seniors like a Brooks Dutton, Holden Catlett, Corey Rich to name a few; Head Coach Curt Sheinin knows he’ll have people like a Brisbee, a Griffin Catlett and so on to fill the holes leave by six seniors named to either the first, second-teams and honorable mention in the Three Rivers League from this season.

“I’m really proud of the kids because we didn’t give up,” said Sheinin. “We kept fighting the whole way, we just had one really, really bad quarter in the third quarter, we just didn’t come back.”

Being a man of a few words, Sheinin knows his team, from himself on down, will be fired up for next year.

“The kids coming back, they’ll remember it, they’ll be fired up,” he said. “It’ll fire up the whole coaching staff, definitely. We’ll be ready to get back to work.”